To think that 60k is a lot of money to earn a year?!

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I think it is a lot of money to earn per year but it seems a lot of people on mumsnet don't think so, am I in the piss poor minority here or what?!

I'm not saying London isn't the most expensive part of the country married, just that not all of t'north is dirt cheap.

A 3 bed flat / house is about £1,400 a month to rent were I am. Not cheap. Cheaper than London, yes. Cheaper than everywhere in the South, no. Plus our council tax is a lot more, childcare is not much cheaper, food, petrol, gas, electricity are all the same. So the idea that it is vastly cheaper up north is a bit wrong. And a but annoying.

As per the link
www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/table-3-13-mar2012.pdf
Median income in London is £23,400 (ie half the people there earn less than that in total)
Median income in the North West is £18,500

so yes, houses in London are more expensive but somehow tens of thousands of people are living in the city on what MN posters call a pittance - time to get real ladies

We rent a 1 bed in central london. costs just under 20k a year on rent!

Our annual salary had to be minimum x3 the annual rent before they will consider renting (so basically 60k)

My DH earns more than that, and I'm forever grateful for that as we've been on the other side too.....just out of uni, using credit cards to buy food and pay electricity bills.

Whilst it means we have a nice house, 2 cars etc I can assure you we have skint months too. We have to face unexpected bills just like everyone else, and to be honest my DH pays more in tax that I earned before I became self employed (and subsequently earned considerably less than before). That annoys me as he's worked damn hard to get to where he is and spends nothing on himself so I can look after our DD without needed a proper job.

I don't mean this to be a stealth boast, or patronsing or whatever - its just that it's all relative. You live to your means.....so while DH has a healthy income we spend that income and therefore can feel just as skint as someone earning £25k and presumably someone earning £250k.

Talking peace- yes but those people on £23000 in london with a house/ flat no doubt receive a council place so lower rents

Average mortgage, ft childcare, standard 4 year old family car loan, student loan, pension....
Then 400 month fuel, council tax, food for family... Doesn't see much change from 60k...

forevergreek
no doubt receive a council place so lower rents
WOW do you need to read the proper press more.
What council places?
www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/aug/22/housingmarket-london-data

Great post Mintyy. Of course £60k is a lot of money. Top 4% in the uk. Just because you don't feel rich doesn't mean you aren't rich. Dp and I have a combined income of £60k, we live in an ex council flat in south east London, we'd love to move to a Victorian flat but we can't afford it. We are still rich and very fortunate and I never let myself forget that.

There seem to be far more women on here saying "My husband earns more than that" than saying "I earn more than that".

Which I find slightly depressing in terms of equal pay and opportunities etc

catgirl
that is the demographic of MN - and different boards have different demographics ....

I had always thought MN had a pretty high number of career women on it

Certainly more than on NM or Bounty etc.

Have read more of this thread and got more riled! It's not relative, it is a lot of money.

sure. but if rent for a regular one bed flat is 18k, no way could you afford that on 23k.

£18000 rent
£1400 council tax
and say £2000 for all bills (gas/water/ electric/ phone/ tv etc)

leaves you max £1500 to feed/clothe/ look after yourself and your family for a year

could you live off £125 a month (£31 a week), for all food/ commuting costs/ clothes/ kids shoes/ blah blah?

if you live in central london you cannot solely live off 23k without some kind of help

forevergreek
welcome to the real world - its called overcrowding, house shares, arrears on all bills and unsecured debt with no hope of paying it off.
there IS NO HELP for most people. Their families are as broke as they are.

catgirl
they are on the employment parts of the forums - they are there in fair numbers

Add message | Report | Message poster Doshusallie Thu 25-Oct-12 21:14:16
It is less than £3500 take home

How much less? You say that like it's a bad thing.

So where do all the ordinary working class people who do the ordinary working class jobs live in London if you need a salary of 60k just to be able to afford to live there, and in fact, the entire south east? Where do all the shop assistants and admin staff live, who must be on a lot less than 60k? Or do just two million (or whatever) middle class/rich people live in London? It puzzles me!

*There seem to be far more women on here saying "My husband earns more than that" than saying "I earn more than that".

Which I find slightly depressing in terms of equal pay and opportunities etc*

Agree Catgirl. I used to be the higher wage earner, kids and career break and then working closer to DC's school killed that one.

In the area I work in Solicitors and Accountants in their 30s/40s rarely earn even £50k (they do in nearby city, sometimes). £60k is a fair old whack in anyones terms (am not either, I just work with em).

huh? since when do i not live in the real world?

we could add ourselves onto the council list,and as we have 4 people living in a one bed flat we would no doubt be classed as overcrowded.

we live in a one bed as that is what we can afford. and we have an income a lot higher than 23k. that i why i am saying how can someone in the same street as us potentially, live in the same size place with earnings 1/3 of ours. without help it is impossible, so they must get help

Ahhh...I wondered where they were

But I have had enough of work when I get home! I come on MN to forget the horror

I think that people who qualify their statements that £60k isn't much to earn if you live in London or the SE are cunts.

Because that's BOLLOCKS.

The majority of hard working people I know earn under £12k a year IN LONDON AND THE SE.

So to those who whine about £60k not being a huge income in London or the SE - YOU ARE WHINGING CUNTS.

Try doing all that work for £12/14/16k pa and then see what hard up and not making ends meet REALLY is.

It's relative.

If you live in the South East like we do - it really isn't a lot.